New Garden Shoes and Socks

We stopped by Molbak's in Woodinville this afternoon for new gardening shoes and socks.  They are almost too nice to get wet and muddy!

It's a new brand calle BOG, and they have a line of shoes and socks for gardeners.  They have special construction and linings that keep you warm and dry.  I can't wait to try them out!

Flowers for the Altar

We joined our new church today, and also dedicated the altar flowers to the memory of my mother-in-law Grace.  The flowers were beautiful on the purple satin cloth on the altar for Lent, and the flowers were a mixture of pink roses, pink lilies, and white hydrangeas.

Alex's 14th Birthday

Alex is 14 already!  We celebrated with lunch at P.F. Chang's at Alderwood Mall, then shopping after lunch at Nordstrom.  We had a lovely day together, and Alex has turned into such a wonderful and engaging young woman.  I'm so proud of her!

spring, ee, me and thee-..

My daffodils are peeking out from the winter-chilled soil, and promise warmer weather and sunshine.

Spring reminds me of a poem by e e cummings--see below.

in Just-

by: e.e. cummings (1894-1962)

N Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame baloonman

 

whistles far and wee

 

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

 

when the world is puddle-wonderful

 

the queer

old baloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

 

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

 

it's

spring

and

the

 

goat-footed

 

baloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

Trompe l'oeil at the Grange Cafe

I love this scene painted on the historic building that houses the Grange Cafe in downtown Duvall.  I can almost smell the pie!

The Last Day of Vacation

The weather was sunny, clear and 50+ degrees today!  It really feels like Spring!

Drove to Duvall to spend some time in the bookstore, then on to the antique stores.  Had lunch at the Grange Cafe, which has many different trompe l'oeil adorning the outside walls of the old building that houses the restaurant.

We drove to Sultan, and enjoyed the mountain and river views in the bright sunlight. Discovered Galaxy Chocolates and Bakery on Main Street, and stopped by for cookies and candy.  The candy was beautiful, and there were literally hundreds of chocolates.

On to downtown Snohomish and Simply Sweet Cupcakes for my neighbor Kelly's 50th birthday today.  Happy Birthday, Kelly!

Stopped by Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream for Salted Caramel and Spumoni ice cream to get us through the weekend.  The Salted Caramel is especially good with apple pie, which will be created tomorrow morning!  Do we live in a great 10-mile radius or what?

Cedar Stump Cottage at Seabrook

Cedar Stump Cottage is one of our (so far!) favorite cottages we have stayed at in Seabrook!  It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a large kitchen, deck, dog-washing station, sun room, and a living room with a gas fireplace.  The gas range is a dream to cook on, and the collection of books in every room is truly impressive!  The owner has a very eclectic taste in literature.

The big-screen TV is on the covered porch, so it's fun to get under a comforter and watch our favorite TV series from our Kindle Fire tablet.  We've also watched some DVD's here at the cottage, including Downton Abbey.  This week is everything a vacation should be!

Here are some pictures of the cottage.  Nala likes the couch!